Abrasion unit for rail joints



Feb. 27, w23. E A E. WOLHAUPTER .ABRASION NIT FOR RAIL JOINTS Filed Oct. l5, 1922 2 sheets-sheet l Syvum/Mio@ l ffl/IIN LMIES B. VVOLHAUFTEFy ABRASION UNIT FOR RAIL JQINr'If/S 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed OCS. l5, 1922 Patented lFelo. 27, i923,

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BENJAMIN WOLHAUPTER, OF NEW' RCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, 02E' NEW YORK, N. Y., A COBOEATON OF NEW YORK.

ABRASION UNIT FOR RAIL J'OINTS. v

Application filed October 1S, 1922.

To all whom t may concern.' y Be it known that l, BENJAMIN lVoiiifrAUr- TER, a citizen of the United States, resi'cing at New Rochelle, in the county ot lli/Testchester and State ot' New York, have invented certain new and useful ln'iprovements in Abrasion Units 'for blail Joints, olf which the 'following is a speciication. l

This invention relates to rail joints, and

has particular reference to an improved abrasion unit having novel features or construction and design that render it ot' special utilit-y in connection with standard types ot joint or splice bars having a wedge tit in the ishing space of the rail, thereby 'to compensate for the wear which is usually focused on the bearing faces of the bars at or near the rail ends. A primary object ot' the invention is to provide a simple, practical. and reliable construction to compensate lor the wear usually imposed on the joint bars,vthereby materially increasing the life ot the joint.

To that end the invention contemplates a relatively thin hard metal abrasion unit or wear filler including members adapted for engagement with the 4underside of the rail head and the upper side of the'base flange ot' the rail, and possessing` adequate strength to withstand the loading strain to which the joint bars are subjected by the passing wheel loads. Also, .the improved unit or liller is intended to suiiiciently adapt or adjust 'itself vertically7 to permit oit' the splice bar properly drawing the rail bear ing members thereof against the head land base iiange of the rail without undue liriction when the bar is pulled into place by the joint bolts, That is to say, as wear occurs, and the joint bolts are tightened to draw the splice bars further into the shing spaces or the rails, the rail bearing members ot the vabrasion unit will vfirmly and evenly engage the rails without binding and without triction due to the special formation or the medial portion Vot' t'hevertical web ot the unit vwhich ladequately provides for the diminution or contraction of the vertical height of the unit as the lattery is vmoved into the converging` ishing spaces oiI the rails.

A furtherand important obj ect is also to provide a metal abrasion unit designed and formed -to permit of the shitting of the entire men'xber longitudinaliv in either direc- Serial No. 594,285.

tion between the rail and bar head as wear occurs, thereby materially adding` to the life oi the unit by bringing the `least worn portions thereotZ into use.

lll/lith the above and other ob-jects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinatter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown lin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is aside elevation ot axportion of the improved abrasion plate in' position at the rail ends, the splice bar being indicated by dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a bi-sected vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a pair of' adjoining rail ends with the joint bar removed showing the improved abrasion plate in one of its positions.

l. Figure 4 is a view similar to Fugure l illustrating "another y adjusted position of the abrasion plate.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.4 i

One of the distinctive features of the invention lis to provide an abrasion unit of relatively thin hard metal to be clamped be- .tween the splice bars and the rails for rerlieving the head and foot portions of the linto effect. That is to say, it 1s proposed vto pro-vide a wear liller of substantially channel formation whereby theto-p and bottom flange members of thin hard'metal for the head and foot of the joint. vor splice bar are 4connected 'by ian intermediate web, portion which yields or otherwise con'ipensartes lor the movement oi" .the head and' iootporlll) tions of the bar' inwardly. underthe tightening action of the joint bolts.

In the embodiment shown the abrasion unit or Wear filler is vdesignated generally as A., and the upper and lower bearing meinbers or chaling flanges l and 2 are connected by a vertical Web 3, the said unit being of substantially uniform thickness throughout.

As will be observed .from Figure 9J of the ydrawingavthe web portion 3 possesses adequate `resiliency 'to bow or flex as the bearing v'members-or flanges l and 2 are i lporting engagement `with Athe ,rails. l j

vertical resiliency of the Web in this form v`of the invention .is materially increased by forced into Contact With the converging `walls of the' fishing space ot' the rails l,

therebyrelieving the bearing ineii'ibers of the friction lwhich Would otherwise be caused if' the Web were rigid and the bearing niembersitorcedinto a binding instead ol a'siip- The the formation of the relatively large central opening 4 and the relatively flaringopenings 5 and 5? located at the ends of thev'iveb, to-

gether ivitlitheouterl and inner sets of vbolt clearance openings 6` and 7 respectively toy fst.

which leave only a relatively small connecting `strip `8 forming the integral part of the Web.A *j j j i In .connection With the bolt receiving openings 6 and 7, vabove mentioned, another important and distinctive. feature of the invention exists. That is yto say, the abrasion unit A'issomevvhat of greater length than .fthejoint bar B so that the ends thereof will project beyond the ends of' the .'bar inthe `normal set position of theunit, and When the unitv is shifted either to .the right or to the left Within the rangeperniittedby the open-` ings for the joint bolts the flanges l and 2 will still adequately protect the joint bars 4from engagement With the rail. i

In makingv the desired adjustment of the Vabrasion unit, the joint bolts C', C2, C3 and` (l/jmust be removed and the entire unit .shifted to the desired position, whereupon the boltsnia'y be replaced 'in openingswhich register Awith the bolt, positions ,and again be tightened to lock' thennit .in the desired adjusted position l and prevent accidental,

slipping oi' creeping tllei'eol under the actio'iiofA passingjwheel loads. i ,1

Assuming that the `normal set1position of the abrasion unit A is shoWniii Figure l, it Will be observed from Figure 3 that if the unit is shifted the maximum distance, to 'i the right, lthe joint bolt C2 will resty in the opening 7 While the joint bolt C will be disposed in the flared` open end 5 of thecunit `and the bolt C4' will restinopening 6b. On

the other hand if the unit is shifted to the maximum distance to the left, slioyvnin Figure 4, the joint bolt C will be positioned in the opening 6;L While the joint bolt C2 will be `disposed in the large central openpresent/invention isto provide an abrasion `unit or Wear filler of relatively 'thin hard the rail ends.

ing 4.r The bolt C3 will then be disposed in the opening 7b and thebolt C* will be located in the flared open end 5` of the unit. In this case the bolts C and C3 hold the unit inadjusted position and in all adjustments at least tWo bolts are engaged with the Web.

' Obviously, intermediate adjustments bef that a novel and distinctive 'feature of the f metal, the vertical portion of which is constructed to compensate yfor the relative con- 'traction in the height thereof as the same is drawn further into thelishing space of the rails upon lthe tightening of thel joint bolts. In other Words, it is proposed toprovide'an 'abrasion unit Whose vertical height is relatively adjustable, and Whichis also adjustable longitudinally as a vvhole between the bar andthe rails, lthereby obtaining a Wide range of adjustment Which enables the-invention to meet practically all conditions of use in athoroughly practicalvandy e'ficient v manner. v E j Without further description it isthought that the features and advantages of the invention Will be readily apparent to those skilled inthef'art and it Willy of course be understood that changes inthe fornn/pro-` may be resorted to Without 'departingffroin the spirit 'of the invention or scope oftheappended claims. Ivclaim:'-'-

l. In av rail joint, lthe combination With the joint bar and the rail ends,.of a'longi-` tudinally adjustable metal plate adapted to have a bearing between the bar and the'rail.

- In a rail joint, the combination With the joint bar and the rail ends, olla longifp'ortion and minor details of construction i'io tudinally adjustable metal plate adapted to'v i furnish a plurality 4ofv Wear faces, beneath v In a rail joint,the'combination Withfthe joint bar, of' a" thin hard Innetall abrasion plate of substantially uniform section `throughout and having an open parttoy produce avertically resilient web portion.

'4Q In a rail joint, the'combin'ation yvvith j the joint bar,A ofia thin hard metal abrasion plate adapted to beclampedbetvveen the bar and the rail:` said plate being of subst'antially channel formation to provide flanges for engaging with the rail head and rail iso base, and the web of the plate having openings located at the center and end portions tlereof to produce vertical resiliency in the p ate.

5. In a rail joint, the combination with the joint bar, of a thin hard metal abrasion plate of channel cross section and substantially uniform thickness throughout, the web portion being provided with openings to provide vertical resiliency for the plate and also permit the longitudinal shifting thereof between the joint bar and the rail.

6. In a rail joint, the combination with the joint bar, of a thin hard metal abrasion plate of channel formation and substantially uniform thickness throughout, the web portion of said plate being provided with an enlarged central opening and openings at the end thereof to provide vertical resiliency for the plate, and said web, also being provided with other openings for accommodating the joint bolts when the plate is shifted longitudinally between the bar and the rail.

7 In a rail joint, the combination with the joint bar and the rail ends, of a longitudinally and vertically adjustable metal plate adapted to have a bearing between the bar and the rail.

8. In a rail joint7 the combination with the joint bar and the rail ends, of a longitudinally adjustable metal plate adapted to have a bearing between the bar and the rail and provided with openings in the web to provide vertical resiliency for the plate..

9. In a rail joint, the combination with the joint bar and the rail ends, of a longitudinally adjustable metal plate adapted to furnish a plurality of wear faces between the rail ends and provided with openings in the web to provide vertical resiliency for the plate.

10. In a rail joint, the combination with the joint bar of a thin, hard metal abrasion plate fitted in the fishing space of the rail and adapted to be shifted longitudinally therein between the bar and the rail and provided with openings to provide vertical resiliency for the plate.

11. In a rail joint, the combination with a joint bar, of a thin hard metal abrasion plate litted in the fishing space of the 'rail and adapted to be shifted longitudinally therein between the bar and the rail.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature 

